Does work-life balance exist?
By Steven Shapiro
In 2009, Anne-Marie Slaughter was tapped by Hillary Clinton to become the director of policy planning at the State Department, the first woman to hold that position. Accepting the offer required making a personal sacrifice. Slaughter lived in Princeton, N.J., with her husband and two sons. The new job was in Washington, D.C., and necessitated that she commute home on weekends. After two years, she decided to leave her “dream job,” as she describes it, to return home to spend more time with her family.
Three years later, she sparked a national debate on the topic when she wrote an article for the Atlantic magazine titled “Why women still can’t have it all,” a candid look at how women with children are prevented from advancing their careers.
Her new book, “Unfinished Business,” takes a deeper look at how workplace culture affects both women and men trying to balance careers and family.
Slaughter believes that employers and the government need to place a greater priority on care. There is currently no federally mandated paid-maternity or paid-paternity leave.
Yahoo Global News Anchor Katie Couric spoke with Slaughter about the book and what it was like to leave such a high-powered job at the pinnacle of her career.
Yahoo Parenting is also examining many related issues this week including work-life balance and paternity and maternity leave with #NoShameParenting.
